Can thermography see through my dense breast tissue?
Often, women are called back after mammograms of younger, denser breasts for additional views. Mammograms are an anatomical test: the radiation penetrates the soft tissues of the breasts and some is absorbed by denser tissues making the image we see on the film. Thus, when the breasts are already dense (as they are before menopause), it is difficult to tell if there are abnormalities since there is already dense tissues in the breast that are normal and expected. Thermography is not looking through the breast: it is a test of physiology. The blood flow to the tissues is reflected in the heat patterns the camera picks up. The abnormal blood flow to cancerous tissues will show up regardless of the density of the breasts. For this reason, thermography is especially suited for the breasts that would otherwise get multiple views with a mammogram.
